Rotating Shoes

Today's run was my eighth consecutive run without my Orthotics. I have been rotating my Saucony Kinvara's and Nike Free's and focusing on keeping an easy pace (somewhere in the 8:30 - 9:00/mile range) and I haven't had any pain or discomfort.

There are two main variables when it comes to running: distance and intensity (pace/hills), and I have read many, many times (and learned from personal experience) that it is important to only increase one of the variables at a time. So, I dropped my pace to allow my body (legs and feet) to get used to the new shoes while I gradually build up to running 30 miles a week.

I have been rotating my shoes, running in the Saucony's one day and then the Nike Free's the next. This is helping build up my foot and leg strength as my muscles have to work slightly differently each day. I have never rotated shoes before, which I think was a big factor in my injury over the summer. The muscles in my feet were never challenged as I always ran in the same shoes with my molded Orthotic insert and they eventually became lazy and lost their strength.

Another reason to rotate running shoes is that the foam cushioning in the sole can take 36 hours to recover and if it doesn't fully recover before the next run, it breaks down and becomes less effective faster than it typically would. This is less of a factor for me with my Saucony's and Nike's as they don't have much (if any) foam in the soles.

Recent Training Runs:
11/23 Saucony (5.50 miles @ 8:42)
11/22 Nike Free (3.00 @ 8:53)
11/21 Saucony (5.50 @ 8:54)
11/20 Nike Free (3.00 @ 8:31)
11/19 Saucony (3.00 @ 8:45)
11/18 Nike Free (3.00 @ 8:44)
11/17 Saucony (3.00 @ 9:02)
11/15 Nike Free (2.00 @ 9:02)